By Pablo Arriaga

The biggest rager in the galaxy is thrown in this issue of Joyride! How? Oh simple, a giant space whale who has transcended into the 8th dimension was freed by Uma way back in issue #2 and acts like a teenager, so it obviously throws a planet-sized party for the three teen adventurers. And as they are, they behave like teens at a house party. Some of them fit right in, and others just wander and lean on walls awkwardly.

This issue of Joyride really shows the range of tone in this series when it starts on a lighter note and gradually delves down into the character depths as well as organically bringing up the story so far. Uma is realizing the scope of her decisions and the responsibility she’s taken so far, Catrin provides assistance on to what she can and possibly more support for Uma than she can think. From what the art shows, it seems they might be developing some feelings for one another, and Catrin has more peace of mind on this issue than previously, given that she had a major breakthrough in accepting who she is a couple issues ago; you know, the one with the giant earth and cloud creatures that were about to bang and made Kolstak super high.

Meanwhile Dewydd awkwardly lurks around the party not knowing his place in it (too real, guys) finds a new level of friendship with an unlikely ally. This blend of the absurd with the sincerity that the main characters show is what makes this comic so interesting and fun to read. Lanzig and Kelly have found a near perfect balance of the two with Joyride. And a crazy amount of copyrights to dance around this issue and for Marcus To to render with his great line work. Big props for Jim Campbell for showing how well lettering can go with characters. Robot wouldn't have the same comprehension and adorableness if it wasn’t for the letters he uses.

The art is fully showcased here, I was able to have a brief conversation with Lanzig during this part NYCC about Joyride and he mentioned one of his favorite panels of all time being shown in this issue. After reading it, and seeing what Marcus To can do when showcasing a humanoid musculature, I have to agree with him... it's the beefcake bird dude. How could it not be the beefcake bird dude?

Joyride continues t maintain the great quality of the series by giving us another great issue that delved deep into the lore of this world, as well as teasing even more story ahead, further proving that turning this series from a min to an ongoing was well worth the investment.from a mini to an ongoing was well worth the investment.